Starlight
by Senigata
Summary: [Sequel to Fractured Mind] Shinra was finished. Imploded on itself as soon as Rufus had been taken out, leaving Midgar in total chaos. As Avalanche was helping the civilians of Midgar, Tifa find herself seeking the one person she had left behind and, eventually, confronts her feelings for the boy that had once promised to be her hero under a starlit sky.
1. Chapter 1

**Back at it again!**

* * *

**Starlight**

Flames licked at her skin as she ran through the hallway of the burning building, following the cries that echoed into her direction.

"What's the situation!?" She heard Cloud's voice from the walkie-talkie in her hand.

"There's a family trapped inside. I'm getting them out!" Tifa replied and hooked the walkie-talkie to the belt of her skirt. She had been assisting the fire fighters in the area of Sector 6, when she heard the cries from a supposedly empty building, and immediately ran inside.

She held a hand in front of her face to keep herself from inhaling too much smoke, and stopped in front of the apartment where the voices were coming from. The door and walls were already being consumed by the flames.

"Help!" she heard the shout of a young man, while a baby and woman were crying. "Please, somebody, help!"

Narrowing her eyes she lifted her right hand and held it out towards the door, concentrating. One of the materias inside her glove gave a faint green glow and an ice spell shot out of her hand towards the door. A cloud of steam exploded in front of her as the ice connected with the fire, and she had to shield her eyes for a moment, but the fire on the door was extinguished.

With a shout, she kicked the door open, knocking it off its hinges. Inside, she spotted a young couple, younger than herself in fact, huddled into a corner, the woman cradling a baby in her arms.

"Come on!"

"Thank you!" the young father said and pulled his wife to her feet, and they all ran towards the exit in a mad dash.

They had just made it outside when the exit collapsed behind them. A pair of firefighters ran their way and guided the mother and child towards an ambulance nearby, while the husband stayed behind.

"Thank you so much!" he said once more. Tifa just gave him a smile and waved him off.

"Go to your wife and child," she said and coughed a bit. The young man gave her one last grateful look, before he joined his family.

"Tifa!" Cloud shouted through the walkie-talkie as the building was being consumed by the flames.

"I'm OK," she said, still coughing a little and walked a bit until she saw Cloud standing at the end of the street. She waved towards him to show that she was really OK. "Just a bit of smoke."

"That was reckless of you," he chastised her, but she had to smile at the worry in his voice.

"I know you would have gotten me out if I ended up in a pinch," she said teasingly and walked towards him.

All around her, the fire department and ambulances were helping the wounded and putting out fires. Sector 6 had always been kind of a deprived area, just a step above the slums, so the resulting panic after the attack of Diamond Weapon, combined with Heidegger's declaration of martial law had turned this place into a warzone.

She turned her head to stare at the huge tower that made up Sector 0, the Shinra building. The top floor was still smoking from where Diamond Weapon landed a direct hit, taking out Rufus Shinra.

Shinra was finished, there was no way the company would recover from today, and in the end it wasn't done in by Avalanche but simply imploded on itself instead.

Tifa thought she would be happy when this day would come, but instead she just felt emptiness where her hatred used to be. Jessie, Biggs, Wedge, her father, Claudia and their entire hometown were still dead and would never return. Besides—

Her eyes moved past the tower and towards the gigantic fireball looming in the night's sky, growing closer by the day as it headed towards the planet's destruction.

—their job wasn't over yet.

_Aerith..._ Her thoughts turned to her friend, who had given her life in trying to stop this. Now it was on them to make sure her sacrifice hadn't been in vain. No. That all their sacrifices hadn't been in vain.

She turned her gaze back from the sky and towards Cloud, her heart skipping a beat when she saw the way he was looking at her. After what happened in the Lifestream, after he had become his true self again, so much had changed between them; in a good way. Gone were the doubts in her mind about their shared memories, as the truth had finally been revealed.

But where doubt used to be, there was now a bit of tension between them. One that was exciting and frustrating at the same time. The revelation inside his mind, that he had always liked her, wanted to become a SOLDIER just for her; had been ashamed when he didn't make it, yet still came to her rescue when she needed it most.

It just made her fall in love even more.

Yet there just hadn't been time to address it, and she would be lying if she said that she wasn't feeling perpetually shy around him.

And the way he was shifting from one foot to the other at her proximity told her it must be the same for him.

She could already hear the others groan at the sight of them in the back of her mind, followed by Yuffie and Cid calling them idiots.

But, this wasn't the time for it.

"How's it looking?" she asked, and saw Cloud relax a little at a topic he was, ironically, more comfortable with.

"I think there's nothing left we can do here. The fire department seems to have most of it under control now. Cait—I mean Reeve," he corrected himself as they walked along the street. "he said they were building shelters for everyone that lost their homes."

It was weird, learning that the head of Shinra's Urban Development department had been on their side this entire time, well, after the Temple of the Ancients anyway. After Hojo died and the command structure had fully collapsed, they had sprung him out of the Shinra building, where he quickly assumed command of the troops in the city and told them to stand down and help the citizens. He had then mobilized whatever was left of his own department to help in the relief effort.

"So, where to next?" They weren't done by a long shot.

"Let's check in with Cid and Barret in Sector 4, maybe they need help," he said as they approached a team of Shinra troopers, that immediately stood to attention at their sight.

"At ease," Cloud said to them, falling a bit into his old trooper routine, and casually waved at them. "We need transportation to Sector 4."

"Of course, sir. This way!" one of them said and led them to a military vehicle parked nearby. He sounded pretty young, maybe not much older than Cloud when he had gone to join Shinra himself.

It made her realize once more that even if Shinra had been the enemy, not everyone in Shinra was. A lot of people were regular folks that tried to get by, just like everyone else. A few hours ago and this kid and them would have been on opposite sides. Now they worked together to help the people of Midgar, as their planet was slowly facing it's destruction.

In the end, they weren't that different.

As they drove through the streets, Tifa turned her head to where she knew Sector 7 once used to be, and her mind wandered back to the day of its destruction.

"_Many people died... because of what we did... this is... our punishment..."_ she heard the words Jessie had told them as Tifa held her, face impossibly pale as she was slowly bleeding out, echo inside her mind.

Yes. In the end, they weren't different at all.

* * *

Tifa woke up to the sound of running water and slowly opened her eyes. She turned around and looked towards the other bed in the room, then towards the bathroom door. Yuffie must be inside.

The relief effort had taken until early morning, and everyone had been beyond exhausted by that time. Reeve had arranged some quarters for them in a hotel in Sector 3, which had thankfully taken the least damage of all sectors and was serving as one of the emergency shelters for residents that lost their homes.

Tifa and Yuffie being the only women in theeir group they were, of course, sharing a room.

She heard as the water stopped running, and shortly after, Yuffie stepped out, dressed in her shorts and dark green top. Her hair was still damp from the shower she had just taken.

"Mornin'," Tifa mumbled into her pillow.

Yuffie snickered. "More like afternoon."

"Is it really that late already?" Tifa asked, but didn't get up, instead stifling a yawn and closing her eyes again. She was still so tired.

"Mhm." She heard the ninja bounce onto her bed. "Cloud was here earlier, asking for you."

"He was!?" That seemed to do the trick in waking her up, as she pushed herself off the mattress and turned to look at Yuffie directly, who was currently in the process of putting on her shoes.

"Yup. Told him you were still sleeping like a princess." She snickered again. "A drooling princess, that is."

"Wha—I did not drool!" Tifa pouted, but still checked the corners of her mouth for any residue that might be there.

Yuffie's snicker turned into full blown laughter and Tifa felt her face turn red in embarrassment. Gripping one of her pillows, she threw it at the younger girl, smacking her in the face with it.

"Haha. Very funny." Tifa grumbled a little and got out of bed, heading over to the bathroom. The muffled sounds of Yuffie's laughter followed her until she slammed the door shut.

Sometimes, a lot of times actually, Yuffie could be really infuriating.

With a sigh, she started to strip out of her clothes and stepped into the shower. _Might as well get cleaned up, too._

She closed her eyes as the hot water hit her body, and it just made her realize how much she missed the comfort of a proper shower. The one they had on the Highwind was clearly made with function in mind, not with comfort, so this right here was a luxury.

Of course it would never beat just soaking in a bathtub, but that was even more of a luxury she had only allowed herself once on their journey, after Cloud had bought that house in Costa del Sol.

She took the soap and washed her hair and body. As nice as this was, she didn't want to spend the entire day here, and Cloud had asked for her, so she didn't want to keep him waiting too long.

After she stepped out of the shower, she dried herself, then put her clothes back on and bound her hair before leaving the bathroom. Yuffie was lying on her back, looking at some Materia she had found yesterday, when they were running around inside the plate.

"Did Cloud say something?" Tifa asked.

"Only that he would be downstairs in the dining area," Yuffie said with a shrug, apparently done with teasing her for now.

"Thanks," she said and left their room. Downstairs she saw the people sitting or walking around, talking amongst themselves. Some still couldn't believe what had happened yesterday.

"As if Meteor wasn't already bad enough," a mother said as she hugged her son to herself.

Tifa walked past the people and into the dining area, which was equally filled with people. The entire place had been repurposed and she could see volunteers working tirelessly alongside the kitchen staff to make something to eat for the people. Seeing that made her realize how hungry she was right now, so she got in line with the rest of the people there.

It took a bit, but soon enough she was handed some stew that didn't look like anything fancy, yet still made her mouth water. As she carried her tray, she spotted Cloud sitting a few feet away, eating his own stew with a thoughtful expression on his face.

With a smile she walked over to him. "That seat already taken?" she asked playfully.

He looked startled for a second, before he looked at her and shook his head with a small smile. "No."

Tifa sat down opposite of him and immediately started to dig in. She heard Cloud chuckle and looked at him, but he just shook his head in amusement.

"What?" she asked.

"I think I've never seen you wolf down your food like that."

"I'm starving. Yesterday was—"

"One hell of a day," Cloud finished her for her.

"Yeah." Tifa nodded and returned to her food. It might not be fancy food you'd usually get in a place like this, but it was filling. After she was done she pushed the bowl to the side.

"So what are you thinking about?" Tifa asked, and she saw that the thoughtful expression had returned to his face.

"I think we've done all we can here and it's time we left. I've already told the others to get any errands they might have out of the way and that we'll meet here in two hours," he told her. "So if you got something to take care of, go ahead."

Something to take care of...

She didn't have to think long, there was honestly only one thing left for her in this city.

"Cloud?"

"Hmm?" he looked at her, spoon in mouth.

"Could we go into the slums below after this?"

He gave her a confused look, but then nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

Getting into the slums proved to be a tricky endeavor, as the trains were out, forcing Cloud and her to go through the plate. But luckily for them, the security systems had all been turned off when Shinra had sucked out the entirety of the city's energy to fire at the Northern Crater, so all the hatches and doors had opened up once the power returned.

Returning to Sector 3 was strangely nostalgic, despite her having just been here a few months ago, but the last month had been so busy, that it felt like a lifetime ago.

The streets were practically abandoned, the few people that she encountered she could count on one hand.

"They must be afraid to come out," Cloud murmured. Tifa couldn't blame them. It must have sounded like there had been an all out war going on yesterday.

She led Cloud down the streets, past a playground where only a single brave child was playing around, and towards a familiar building that she had spent over two years of her life in.

They stood in front of the door and Tifa closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she opened the door and the familiar bell above the door rang.

She could already tell that nobody was home. The lights were out and a thin coat of dust was covering everything, like nobody had been here in weeks.

Like it had been abandoned. Or worse.

Her mind immediately raced back to the events from years ago, when Shinra had made her friend Jeremy disappear, and she felt her heart beat up to her neck as she walked around the place, trying to find any sign of what might have happened.

Did Shinra manage to somehow connect the dots and follow her trail to him?

_No, no. If they did, then this place would be entirely empty. They wouldn't leave anything that might serve as evidence_, she told herself, and tried to calm herself down. _But where could he be?_

She stopped in front of the patient room and opened the door to take a peek inside. The bed and everything else was still there. Slowly she stepped inside and walked towards the bed.

"Is this a...clinic?" Cloud said, a hint of nervousness in his voice. She couldn't blame him for having a fear of anything that might have to with doctors after what happened to him.

Exhaling deeply she turned towards him. "This is where I woke up after Master Zangan brought me to Midgar," she told him, then turned her gaze to the floor.

"I see," Cloud said and relaxed a little. Without saying another word she walked past him and towards the steps into the private area of the building. She stopped in the kitchen for a moment, and a memory flashed in her mind of how she would cook in here while the doctor and her would talk about all sorts of things. The corners of her lips curled into a fond smile, but she couldn't stop that feeling of sadness creeping into it and she walked towards what used to be her room for years.

Cloud stood behind her, not saying a word, and she was thankful that he was respecting her privacy by waiting until she was ready. "I lived here for two years. This was my room."

"What was his name?"

"Dr. Hiragi. He took me in when I had no one left. He was kind to me, taught me things about the slums," she released a shaky breath. "I owe him so much that I can't even think about where to start, but he never asked for anything in return. I was hoping that maybe I could see him one last time before..."

She shook her head.

"It doesn't look like there was a fight. Maybe he just left?" Cloud offered.

"Maybe..." but she couldn't be sure.

"Let's look around, maybe we'll find a clue."

"Yeah..." She nodded.

They looked through the entire building for the next 30 minutes, but there were no hints of his whereabouts to be found, only empty drawers where his things used to be.

"We...need to get back if we want to make it in time," she finally said.

Cloud's brow furrowed in concern. "Tifa..."

"Let's just go back," she said firmly and headed towards the exit. On their way back to the maintenance shaft, Tifa fixed her gaze to the ground.

She truly had nobody left, didn't she?

Her hometown, her father, Master Zangan, Jessie, Biggs, Wedge and now Dr. Hiragi had all left her life one way or another. It made her feel utterly alone.

Tifa was startled out of her thoughts when she felt an arm around her shoulders, as Cloud pulled her a little closer to him. He had lost just as much as her. His mother, Zack and…

...Aerith. Tifa missed her. Their time together was short, but immensely precious. And even if the flower girl could sometimes be a little bit insensitive, she had always been willing to listen to Tifa's own worries. She had filled the hole left by Jessie's death, only to be taken away from her, too.

Tifa turned her head to look at Cloud, meeting his mako tinted eyes with her own. She could see a small comforting smile on his lips, and Tifa couldn't help but mirror the expression with one of her own.

In the end, they at least had one another. That alone was worth the entire world to her.

* * *

**Decided to split this into two for easier reading, and to build up the anticipation for "you know what" :^)**

**Well stay tuned for next week for the second and final part of Starlight.**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here it is, the moment you've probably figured out would finally happen.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

After Cloud and Tifa had returned from the slums, they regrouped with the rest of their friends and left shortly afterwards, taking the Highwind out to a more remote part of the Midgar wastelands near the edge, where grass was actually starting to bloom again.

Cloud had given them a speech that this was it; the final battle was upon them. Nanaki had thrown in that if Bugenhagen's calculations were right, they had only one week left until Meteor would crash into the planet and kill everyone.

Yet despite that, Cloud had told the others to leave and find a reason that was worth fighting for, and should none of them return, then he wouldn't hold it against any of them.

One by one they left, leaving only Cloud and Tifa in the airship.

"You're staying?" he asked her, and Tifa turned to look at him.

"I have nowhere else to go," she replied with a sad little smile. She tried to put a little cheer into her voice. "So I guess it's just you and me again!"

Cloud gave a little chuckle, and a smile that mirrored hers. Truly, there really was nowhere else to go but be with each other.

"Wanna go outside?" he asked her after a while of them just looking out of the huge window of the Highwind's bridge.

"Yeah." Tifa nodded and headed towards the airship's deck. On their way Cloud stopped at one of the storage rooms and took out a huge blanket, some bottles of water and a small container he held under his arm.

"Are we having a picnic?" she asked him with a bit of amusement.

He shrugged as best as he could, carrying all this stuff. "Unless you want to sit on hard stone, I figured it might be a good idea. And...consider it an early dinner?"

Tifa giggled. "I'm not complaining."

After they left the airship, Cloud looked for a good spot and placed the blanket on it. Sitting down, he took one of the bottles and unscrewed it before handing it to her.

"Thanks," Tifa said, taking the bottle and sitting down next to him. She took a generous sip, then looked at the container. "So what's in there?"

Cloud looked at her while unscrewing his own bottle, then pressed a button on the container, making it open with a little mechanical noise to reveal a pair of cupcakes.

Tifa looked at the cupcakes, then at Cloud, eyes filled with surprise. "Where...where did you get those?"

"While you were sleeping I was doing some rounds and found an abandoned bakery. They were just gonna go stale anyway, so I took them with me." He shrugged. "Well, if the world doesn't end in a few days, anyway."

Gingerly, Tifa reached out and took one of the cupcakes, it was a cute little thing with pink frosting and a few sprinkles on top. She guided it to her mouth and took a bite. It wasn't the freshest of cupcakes, but it still tasted good. A smile found its way to her face as the sweet flavor cheered her up almost instantly. "And what would you have done if I went away with the others?"

"Eaten them alone, I guess," he said, and then much quieter. "Take a trip down memory lane..."

Tifa felt herself grow warm at his words. She remembered that day as well, to this day it remained one of her favorite memories of him; back then it had just been a little act of kindness towards the boy next door, maybe an attempt to become friends, but in retrospect it was where it all began for her, wasn't it?

"You were so cute back then!" she grinned at him behind her cupcake.

Cloud snorted, but his lips were curved up. "That entire thing had been beyond embarrassing for me...until you gave me that birthday cupcake. It...was the best present I've ever gotten."

She felt her face grow hot and averted her eyes from him. "It was nothing special, really."

"Mhm, maybe. But it put some things into perspective for me." He then grinned, picking up the other cupcake for himself, one with blue frosting and white chocolate chips. "My mom lectured me the rest of the day for getting hurt, you know?"

"You were kind of a trouble maker."

Cloud laughed at that. "I was. Stupid, too."

"I never once thought you were stupid," she said.

"It's OK. I was needlessly aggressive because I had something to prove to myself. I doubt many people missed me when I left."

That was sadly true. Especially her father had been glad that he left. It was one of the few things she had disliked about her father. He was a good man, but very judgmental. He would have thrown a fit over her feelings for Cloud.

"...Well, I missed you," she said after a moment of silence, bashfully looking down at the blanket.

He stiffened, then slowly licked his lips. Was it because of remnant icing, or...? "I, uh...I missed you, too."

Silence fell upon them once more as they ate the simple yet tasty treats, and they watched as the sun was slowly setting. Tifa rose to her feet and walked a few steps as she looked out at the horizon.

"Everyone is really gone, huh?" she asked and brushed some hair out of her face as the wind started to pick up a little. She shivered a bit as the fresh January air hit her skin. The last few weeks had been uncharacteristically warm even for the temperate climate of the eastern continent. "Do...do you think they'll come back?"

"Hmm...I wonder," Cloud said and she heard him get to his feet as well. "Everyone has something irreplaceable to hold on to…but this time...I dunno."

Yes, this time there might be no return for any of them. And if they would die anyway, wouldn't they rather prefer doing so close to their loved ones?

"Hmm," Tifa hummed and nodded. "But it's alright, if none of them comes back. As long as we're together."

Her eyes looked towards the stars appearing one by one on the darkening horizon, even Meteor looming in the sky couldn't dim their light as they shone brightly. "With you by my side, I'll never give up, no matter how bad it gets."

Cloud shifted behind her. "Tifa..."

A small smile formed on her lips and she folded her hands behind her back. "No matter how close we are now, we were far apart before. But...when we were in the Lifestream, surrounded by all those screams of anguish, I thought I heard your voice..."

She remembered how she had ran in the dark, the screams all around her, chasing her, and she was so close to losing her mind as all those thoughts and emotions started to invade her brain. But something had anchored her, saved her from going mad. Cloud.

"You probably don't remember it," she said, closing her eyes as her hand rested over her heart. "But deep in my heart, I heard you calling my name...Or at least I thought I did…"

"Yeah..." he said after a moment of silence. "I heard you calling me. You were calling me back from the consciousness inside the Lifestream."

He chuckled a little. "After all, I promised that I'd come to your rescue whenever you're in trouble."

Tifa, too, chuckled. He did come to rescue her again, didn't he?

He saved her just as much as she saved him.

Opening her eyes, she looked back towards the stars. "Do you think the stars can hear us? How hard we're fighting?"

"I don't know. But whether they can or not, we still have to do what we can, and believe in ourselves," he said, and she could hear the resolution in his voice. "Someday we'll find the answer. That's what I learned from you when we were in the Lifestream."

"Yeah, that's right." she nodded again. They fell silent once more, and Tifa just basked in the moment of their companionship, feeling the tension that had been there, after they returned from the Lifestream, finally leave her body. After a while Cloud broke the silence.

"Tifa...I—" Cloud swallowed hard, and she could hear an edge of nervousness in his voice that made her heartbeat quicken pleasantly. "there were so many things I wanted to say to you...but now that we're together like this I don't know what to say..."

He released a small laugh. "I guess nothing's changed at all."

A sigh of fond exasperation escaped her, but who was she to judge?

She, too, didn't say the words that should be easy to say, because she knew what was between them was real, had felt it in her very soul. They both didn't know what to say. But did they have to say anything at all at this point? No, because… "Cloud...Words aren't the only way to tell someone what you're thinking."

They were beyond words.

Behind her, Cloud released a strangled sound as she closed her eyes, and she heard him approach her, before he stopped in his tracks. A small part of her mind screamed at her to take back what she said, that she was scaring him away. She warred with herself for a few seconds and was just about to give in when Cloud started to move again and bridged the gap between them, nearly knocking her over as he embraced her from behind.

Tifa released the breath that she didn't know she was holding, and leaned back into him, as feelings hidden away for so long inside her heart were finally set free.

A hand gently brushed over the fine hairs on his arm, as Cloud buried his face into her hair, deeply inhaling and exhaling, tickling the back of her neck, and she had to giggle at the sensation. Cloud remained like this for a moment, simply holding her, before he pulled his face away, and slightly loosened his hold on her.

Ever so slowly, Tifa turned around in his arms. Her hands found their way to his face, cupping it gently as he hesitantly leaned in, pressing their foreheads together as his eyes met hers. Reflected there she saw all the bundled up longing and sadness, regrets and hopes, of years upon years that they had been forced apart one way or another. Tears welled up in her eyes at the multitude of emotions she was feeling right now.

They had lost so much time together, and it was only now at the cusp of the world's end that they truly found each other again after so many years. But it didn't matter, nothing else mattered right now; nothing but them.

After what felt like an eternity they both moved forward to finally close that gap between them, their lips brushing against one another's in a chaste kiss. They pulled away a little, gazing into each other's eyes for but a moment, before they both leaned in again, and Tifa's arms wrapped around his neck as their lips pressed together in a much deeper kiss.

This was it, that feeling of _right_ that she had been looking for, that feeling that none of her wayward dates, or her little venture into a relationship that had been doomed from the start, or even Jessie after their little date, could provide.

It had always been Cloud Strife, and no one else. He had stolen her heart long before she even realized it.

She felt hot tears run down her cheeks and she pressed herself even closer to him, making him stumble back until they both fell onto the blanket, with her sprawled on top of him. Cloud gasped into the kiss at the impact, and almost on instinct Tifa slipped her tongue between his parted lips, gently brushing it against his.

A moan ripped through her throat as Cloud eagerly responded. Her body was growing hot, years of pent up desires finally bubbling to the surface, and she could feel Cloud's hand resting on the small of her back, gently stroking the exposed skin.

With a boldness she didn't know she possessed, Tifa took hold of his hand and guided it lower until it rested firmly on her behind. He broke the kiss and stared deeply into her eyes, asking the silent question, if this was really what she wanted. She smiled, wiping away the last remaining tears, and told him what he needed to know by kissing him again.

This might be the last chance they ever got.

His other hand tangled into her hair as he began to grow bold himself and started to challenge her tongue to a battle of sweet dominance, while the hand resting on her behind grabbed the hem of her skirt and pulled it up. She cooed into the kiss when his hand started to massage her through her panties, making her press herself against him.

The eventual need for oxygen made them pull back, and Tifa shifted to straddle him, a soft moan escaping her as she felt a certain body part of his press against her. He pulled her into another short kiss, before moving down to her neck. She craned her neck to give him better access, as he covered the soft flesh with kisses.

A little yelp escaped her when Cloud moved them both into a sitting position, but it soon became a giggle as he nuzzled her neck. Playfully, she pushed him back and looked him in the eye, heartbeat quickening in excitement. He gave her a look of confusion as she untangled herself from him and moved lower.

She... didn't have a lot of experience, next to no experience in fact, and what little she knew she had learned from trashy romance novels she read in her spare time, or from what Jessie had told her when they had drank a little bit too much. But she wanted to try it; wanted to make him feel good.

Her hands pushed the suspenders off his shoulders, before moving down to fumble with his pants, until she finally managed to open them and pull them down. She felt a blush creep onto her face as she saw his erection straining against his underwear, and as her gaze flickered towards Cloud as he looked at her with wide eyes but didn't move a single muscle. Swallowing her nervousness, Tifa pushed her fingers under the hem of his shorts and pulled them down as well, revealing his member for the entire world to see.

Now she wasn't so sure if it was such a good idea.

_No! This might be the last chance you'll ever get!_ she told herself, dispelling the doubts trying to creep into her mind. Taking a deep breath, she took hold of him and gingerly flicked her tongue over his glans. Cloud hissed, startling Tifa and making her look up into his face. Did she hurt him?

But his face didn't show any sign of pain. She flicked her tongue over him once more to test the waters, and saw his face contorted in pleasure. A rush of excitement flowed through her and she repeated the motion a few more times, before engulfing him with her mouth.

It tasted strange, not anywhere close as how the novels had described it, but not unpleasant either, and she felt a burning need grow between her legs as she heard the sounds that he was producing for her. Bobbing her head up and down, she gently sucked on him, growing more and more in confidence.

As she brushed her tongue against him, she could feel him starting to twitch violently, and before she knew it, she felt herself pushed away. She yelped as she landed on her side, then saw his body stiffen and release his load over the blanket. The sight of it caused the sweet ache between her legs to intensify.

After a few short bursts, Cloud's shoulders sagged, and his body visibly relaxed as his orgasm subsided. Sweat glistened on his brow as he looked at her while she sat back up.

"Sorry," he murmured, face flushed red and making him look cute despite what just happened.

Tifa opened her mouth to tell him it was okay, but the words died on her lips as he covered them with his own, his tongue instantly seeking out hers. She moaned into his mouth when she felt his fingers move under her top, and she shrugged out of her suspenders. They parted so that Cloud could remove her top. She spared him from having to undo her bra, so she did it herself. As soon as the simple undergarment hit the ground she started to pull off his top. She wanted to feel his skin on hers.

Once she had removed it, Tifa let her eyes roam, and her fingers traced over his skin until they came to rest on a scar on his abdomen, where Sephiroth had stabbed him years ago. She had her own scar from that day. As faded as it was, it was still there, forever a reminder of what she had lost.

Of what they both had lost.

She noticed his eyes staring at her chest, and she was about to playfully chastise him, when she noticed what he was staring at.

Her locket.

Tifa guided her hand to the last present her father had given her, that harbored the undeniable proof of what had happened that day; the truth that had nearly destroyed Cloud. She reached behind her neck and undid the clasp, and let it drop off her bosom. No past today. Only the here and now mattered.

With a smile she cupped his face and kissed him again, this time slow and gentle, and she let out a pleasant hum as Cloud pulled her close to him, pressing their chests together.

All around them it was growing dark and chilly, but they didn't care. Their bodies provided them with enough heat.

Cloud pulled away and dipped his head to cover her chest in kisses, a small shiver rocking her body as he also planted one on her scar, before moving onto her nipple and gently sucking it into his mouth. She closed her eyes and arched her back to offer better access, biting her lip at the sensation.

He alternated between both of her breasts, kissing and sucking her nipples with equal fervor, and Tifa let herself sink into the feeling. It was only when she felt herself being lowered to the blanket that she opened her eyes and saw Cloud looming over her, with an intense look in those Mako pools that made her heartbeat go wild.

His lips found her breasts again, then moved lower with his affections, leaving a trail of kisses until he arrived at her skirt. She watched him unfasten the belt, then pull her skirt down to her ankles, where she kicked it off. He did the same with her panties, and she found herself completely bare before him.

It was silly, but the way he was looking at her made her feel bashful all of a sudden, and she moved an arm to cover her chest while her other hand moved to cover herself between her legs, but was gently stopped by Cloud's instead.

He gave her a little smile, kissing her hand, before planting small kisses on the inside of her thigh, moving closer and closer to his goal. Tifa stared at him with wide eyes, her body growing even hotter at the sight before her. Was he...?

Cloud's eyes flickered over to hers for just a second, then leaned forward to kiss her most private place. She moaned out, and the arm on her chest dropped to the side, gripping the blanket instead as he pleasured her with his mouth. For a second she wondered where he had picked it up, but then the thought vanished as her mind was overtaken my the feeling he was giving her.

Another, louder moan escaped her as his tongue flicked over her clit, and hot sparks of pleasure shot up her spine. The hand that she had wanted to use to cover herself tangled itself into the blond spikes of his hair as she started to move her hips to grind herself against his lips.

Her mind was starting to go blank, and she could feel her climax approaching, but she didn't want it to be like this. Together. She wanted to come with him together.

Mustering up what willpower she had left, she pulled his head away from her. He looked at her in surprise, like he did something wrong.

"...Together," she managed to say between panting breaths. Cloud made another sound in the back of his throat before he moved on top of her, and she spread her legs further apart to grand him better access. As he guided his member to her entrance, Tifa gently cupped his cheek with her hand, a smile on her lips as he locked eyes with her, and she nodded to tell him she was ready.

"Just go slow," she murmured.

They both moaned as he slowly pushed his dick inside her, and Tifa felt herself tense up a little. It didn't hurt as much as she expected, but it was still such an unfamiliar feeling to have him inside her. Fingers definitely couldn't compare.

Cloud leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, and she moved her arms around his back to hug him close as they both adjusted to this sensation. A few tears ran down Tifa's face at the sheer feeling of happiness she was experiencing right now, and she kissed him again, not caring that he was still covered in some of her fluids.

After a while of just lying there and kissing, Cloud slowly pulled himself out, then thrust himself back in, making her moan into the kiss, as it started to become heated again once he had found a rhythm they were both comfortable with.

Tifa couldn't describe the feeling of pure bliss as Cloud moved inside her, his pace slowly starting to pick up. She tore her lips away when he hit an especially deep part of her, and she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

Coherent thoughts left her as he unleashed seven long years of desire upon her, moaning into her ear as he moved his hips, every thrust eliciting sweet sounds from her. A serenade of the love that she had felt for him for so long; of desires just as strong as his, made clear in this very moment. Her own hips moved to join his and the wet sounds of their bodies was the melody to which she sang.

Once again she felt her climax fast approaching, but this time she wound her legs around him to egg him on, covering his shoulder and neck in open mouthed kisses and little bites. Cloud groaned, his thrusts becoming more frantic and desperate, and she knew from the way he was twitching inside her, that he wouldn't last much longer either.

Her fingers buried into his back as she held him close, meeting his thrusts as best as she could. Just a tiny bit more!

"Cloud!" she cried out, her back arching once again as she finally came. Cloud held her tightly and with one final thrust joined her, releasing himself deep inside her heat, before collapsing on top of her. She hugged him close, her body shuddering as she rode out her orgasm with him, their hips grinding together, not wanting to let go just yet.

She released her hold on him when she finally came down from her high, her body going slack, and watched as he pushed himself up on his elbows. A small whimper escaped her when he pulled himself out of her, but he soon leaned close again, planting a kiss on her forehead.

She giggled and pecked his nose in return.

"That was..." he started, but was at a loss for words.

"Wow?" she offered him, and giggled again in her post orgasmic bliss.

"Yeah." He chuckled and laid down beside her. She immediately turned as well, and moved to rest her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it slowed down.

She shivered again as the cold air hit her sweaty body, and she snuggled closer to Cloud. He seemed to have taken note of her discomfort and grabbed the other half of the blanket, using it to cover them. It was a bit of a tight fit, but Tifa didn't mind one bit.

Her eyes wandered to the starry sky, so similar, yet different from their childhood days.

"We've come a long way since that night, haven't we," she asked, her voice tinged with a bit of sadness.

"Yeah..." Cloud nodded and she ran her hand over his chest. He gently grasped it and planted small kisses on her fingertips. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry. All that matters is that we're here now," she told him, and interlaced their fingers.

He chuckled a little. "Was it worth the wait?"

Tifa released a breathy laugh. "Was it ever."

She loved him. For them to be finally like this was worth every bit of time. And if the world truly ended in seven days, then she would die without regrets.

But she wouldn't go without a fight now. She had something precious to protect as well.

A blissful silence set over them, and they just laid there. Cloud lazily played with some of her hair and Tifa let out a little hum. She moved her leg a little to drape it over him, when she brushed against a certain part of his anatomy that was starting to be lively again.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and she turned her head to look at him. In the moonlight she could still make out the bright red blush on his face as he averted his eyes.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "It's been so long and now that we're finally here I don't think I can stop just yet."

Tifa laughed, but she too felt desire well up deep inside her again. She understood very well where he was coming from.

Moving away from him, she rolled onto her back, slowly removing the blanket from her body to reveal herself to him once more. "Well, I'm getting kinda cold. Don't ya want to do something about that?"

In a flash he was on top of her, and she bit her lip, locking her carmine eyes with his Mako tinted ones, before he closed the gap and captured her lips in a deep kiss.

They made love one more time, before they went to sleep and dreamed of a hopeful tomorrow.

No matter what happened; they would be together.

Of that she was sure.

* * *

**And done. Finally managed to bridge that gap between Post Crisis and Innocent Feelings/Journey of a Barmaid. Something that definitely wasn't planned but still grew over time and what better way to wrap it up than that very special scene under the Highwind?  
**

** Ah but don't worry, this isn't the end. There's still more to come in Post Crisis proper that I hope you will all look forward to. :)**

**Anyway, that's it. **

**Read & review!**


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